


Smooth Criminals

by hoodedmiho (missMHO)



Series: static [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Earth-27 (invented by the author), Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, lots of pining, past one-sided Oliver Queen/Tommy Merlyn (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 21:56:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10580271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missMHO/pseuds/hoodedmiho
Summary: So far Barry thought he was handling visitors from other Earths quite well but this particular batch of breachers wreaks havoc not only in his city and his life — but also in Oliver's. As always, the team-up with the emerald archer is a bitter-sweet endeavour.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've never watched an episode of "Glee" in my life but I suddenly craved more singing and dancing Grant Gustin (long before the musical episode aired) and after seeing some clips with the villanous Sebastian, well, I started thirsting after a wicked Barry Allen. This story is still called "the glee fic" among my friends even though it has nothing to do with "Glee" except for little inspiration and the title XD
> 
> Anyway, it's still a work in progress but I am more than half-way done. I'm just weak and decided to start publishing now.
> 
> Special thanks for [thekasialin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekasialin) and [kasssumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kasssumi) who took a look at it to check whether it's not a total disaster. I'm not a native speaker of English so I apologise for any mistakes!

Barry really hopes he’ll make it in time just this once.

He would love to have some more time to think through what to say to Oliver and how to play it all cool but he can’t afford it today. The matter is serious and he’d prefer if Ollie heard it from him rather than from media that--

The moment he arrives at the Foundry, he already knows it’s too late.

Felicity and Oliver are standing in front of the monitors and looking at the paparazzi photos of Oliver and Barry kissing obscenely in some sort of a bar in Central City.

For a moment Barry just _stares_. He knew their doppelgangers were at large and he was afraid that if Oliver Queen makes an appearance in both cities at once and it’s somehow sniffed out by the media it may cause some issues but he didn’t expect-- He didn’t know--

He feels a blush warming his face. Is that what he would look like kissing Oliver? It’s not like he never thought about it, he actually thinks about it too much, he just didn’t expect it would look so _hot_...

The sound of someone loudly clearing his throat snaps him back to the present. Of course, Oliver and Felicity heard him arriving. He had a plan to explain everything right away and get to action as soon as possible, he didn’t count in getting distracted by--

“Barry?”

Oliver’s voice is what it takes to finally put him into focus. He takes a deep breath.

“I came here as soon as I learned about what happened, I wanted to warn you, I didn’t know it would escalate so quickly and in _this_ way,” Barry says nodding at the paparazzi photos. Oliver is looking at Barry now and there’s a mixed expression on his usually guarded face, confusion and a bit of anger, and something that looks like frustration.

“I hope what you came tell us will shed some light on the origin of these photos.”

Barry sighs. He was looking forward to seeing Oliver again, their lives are so messy recently that they can’t really find time to train together like they planned to. This is not what he wanted this meeting to look like.

“Remember when I told you about breaches to alternate worlds that appeared all over Central City?” Oliver nods and Barry bites his lower lip nervously before continuing. “We’ve had visitors from some other Earths and usually managed to contain them without anyone being the wiser of their origin. But this morning a breach leading to what we identified as Earth-27 was active and a group of people came through. So far we managed to identify that they’re doppelgangers of Cisco, you,” he nods at Oliver “and me. There may be more of them, though,” he admits unhappily. “My team is trying to locate them but with my doppelganger being a speedster as well and yours pulling League of Shadows tricks it’s not that simple…”

“Looks like paparazzi had more luck than your team then,” Oliver comments, his eyes coming back to the photos.

“This is the first time I’m seeing this, I came here to tell you that there’s another Oliver Queen roaming the streets, I didn’t--” he can’t stop staring at the photos now that Ollie brought his attention back to them. Shit, he needs to focus.

“Well, no time to lose,” Oliver takes in a sharp breath, like he usually does when bracing himself for a super-speed travel. “Let me just get my suit and let’s catch them before they mess with our lives even more.”

ж

When they arrive in S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco is working on trying to identify in which bar the paparazzi pictures were taken by cross referencing the background details with available images of such places in Central City. Thus said pictures are displayed on most of the monitors when Barry and Oliver enter. When Caitlin says hi to Oliver, he can see a slight blush on her cheeks. He pretends he didn’t notice.

“These doppelgangers of yours are a real pain in the ass, guys,” Cisco shares his frustration with them. “They’re creating such a buzz while still staying out of our reach.”

“Can’t we contact the person who made the pictures?” Oliver grumbles.

“You think we didn’t try that first?” Cisco huffs at him. “They thought we’re from the competition and want some pics for ourselves. So far they’re exclusive for this one portal so they’re _really_ secretive about all this.”

Oliver grinds his teeth. He would gladly pay them a visit as Arrow and ask some more persuasive questions but adding the Star City vigilante to the equation by making an appearance in an office of a online gossip magazine is definitely a bad idea. He needs something (or _someone_ more preferably) to punch, though.

“They’ll find them,” Barry says quietly but with confidence. He’s looking at the archer with a visible concern. He must have been worried that Oliver’s murderous gaze meant he’ll punch Cisco or something. Oliver sighs.

“I know, I just want to get them before they do any more damage.”

“Don’t worry. Iris is a journalist, she’ll fix this, release a statement that it’s photoshopped and your womanizer reputation will be intact,” Barry tries to reassure him but Oliver is more taken aback than anything by his response. He actually laughs.

“Barry, _my_ reputation has nothing to do with it. Believe me, _you_ don’t want to be associated with me this way.”

Barry starts to protest almost immediately but stops himself mid-word to take a calming breath. It would be almost entertaining to watch if the archer wasn’t so surprised by this reaction. Barry must know that what Oliver said is true. It is one of the reasons why Oliver never tried--

“Guys, I got them!”

Cisco starts explaining how he managed to locate the doppelgangers but Oliver is already out of the room to get into his suit. He should have done it right away after arriving… Fortunately, he has experience in getting ready for his vigilante work as quickly as possible. He needs to end this whole situation soon. Seeing these photos brought back ideas he’s been expertly keeping stored away in his mind. He can’t have Barry... Oliver doesn’t need their alternate reality doppelgangers shoving that in his face.

ж

Their doppelgangers are not even trying to hide. They’re sitting on a bench in an empty parking lot of a gas station near the bar where the pictures were taken. Cisco’s doppelganger is nowhere to be seen so there’s a possibility it’s some kind of trap but they’re ready to take the risk.

Oliver should probably pay attention to his own doppelganger and try to come up with strategies how to take down an alternate version of himself who most probably has the same training but he can’t take his eyes off the fake Barry. He’s wearing dark blue jeans that look painted onto these perfect legs and a leather jacket that, judging by its size, belongs to the other Oliver. He’s nonchalantly slurping on something from a big red cup with a straw. Oliver can’t stop himself from thinking that it’s quite a good look and he wouldn’t mind seeing his Barry in one of his jackets… It also takes Oliver one look into that other Barry’s face to see that that man is someone completely different from his Barry (he should stop calling him that, it may become a cumbersome habit). There’s something despicable about him, mischievous and unnerving…

“Oh, look who decided to show up to the party,” the other Oliver comments out loud with a scornful smirk. “You want to take yourself on or me?”

There’s something conspicuously suggestive in that question. Oliver feels like putting an arrow through his doppelganger’s throat. It may actually be therapeutic.

The other Barry slurps loudly from the cup, considering. Then he smiles viciously. “I’ll take The Flash,” he decides. When he says the name it sounds mocking. “I wouldn’t want you to feel jealous about some poor imitation of you.”

This would be the perfect moment to take advantage of their enemies being distracted and attack but Oliver can’t move. He can’t do anything but stare as the other Barry leans closer to the other Oliver and their lips meet in an obscene kiss. Oliver can feel jealousy coiling in his stomach _which is ridiculous_ because these are their doppelgangers who are apparently evil and he should be dealing with them right now and not staring and wondering how his Barry’s lips would taste like…

When their doppelgangers break the kiss, the other Oliver looks at them amused.

“You two enjoying the show?”

Oliver really wants to have a scathing retort ready, but he doesn’t. He cannot believe that these two has unsettled him so much that he’s still just standing there, waiting like an amateur idiot for them to make their next move.

“I don’t think they’re together here, Ollie,” the other Barry remarks and the endearing nickname sounds so _off_ coming from his smirking lips, even his voice is slightly deeper. The other Oliver laughs as if his boyfriend has just told him the best joke he heard in ages. The sound makes an unpleasant shiver crawl down Oliver’s spine.

“Let’s get rid of these losers.” The moment the words are out of the other Oliver’s mouth, the other Barry is already in front of them. He smiles broadly, showing his teeth like a sadistic predator greeting his prey. Then he throws the contents from his red cup right into his doppelganger’s face. The other Barry watches delightedly as the red slushie drips down from the Flash’s face.

“Catch me, _Flash_ ,” he adds before running away at super-speed.

Oliver hears a curse falling from his Barry’s mouth before he chases after the other speedster. It’s high time Oliver started paying attention to his doppelganger. He turns towards the other man but before he can do his first move, there’s a red streak cutting the parking lot and his doppelganger is now holding a bow and a black quiver of his own.

They release the first arrow at the same time, Oliver was aiming at the other archer’s shoulder but he could see the arrow coming towards him was directed at his head. He dodges in time and already has another arrow ready to be released but his doppelganger has moved from his initial position by now.

Oliver frowns. He knows these moves, so familiar but different from his own preferred style... His doppelganger isn’t the Arrow, he’s Al Sah-him.

He moves to get closer to the neighbouring park, and away from the dangers of the gas station, as he tries to shift his mindset more into the member of the League of Assassins rather than a Star City vigilante.

When Al Sah-him attacks, Oliver manages to dodge but it’s too late for a counter attack as he’s too taken aback by the weapon he was assaulted with. It’s a short sword and Oliver assumes the other archer kept it in his quiver along with the projectiles as it is the same length as the arrows they’re both using. He tries to block the rain of attacks with his bow but he must be careful not to destroy his own weapon at the same time, he will most probably need it to get out of this alive.

It’s not easy to be fighting his own doppelganger, they both try to take advantage of the openings and weaknesses they’re aware of but it’s hard for either of them to get an upper hand. Up until his evil counterpart lives up to his nature and stops playing it safe.

Oliver stifles a groan of pain when an arrow rips through his forearm but he just grinds his teeth in anger, swallowing the anguish, and making another sidestep. He needs to think _fast_ of a way to bring this guy down or soon this Earth will lose its original Oliver Queen.

Al Sah-him of course uses the wound to his advantage, focusing his attacks on the incapacitated arm and after one of his successful blows, Oliver’s vision becomes black and he stumbles to the ground.

When his sight focuses again, the other Barry is there, now in his Flash suit. It’s similar to his Barry’s suit when it comes to the design but it’s colour is much darker red and it has black marks all over it that make it look as if it was struck and burned by lightning.

“Come on, wrap it up, we’re done for today,” the other Flash says.

Oliver’s attention returns to the other archer just as he raises his bow to aim a possibly lethal arrow. Oliver has no chance of dodging this time. Then, just when the arrow is drawn and ready--

“Leave him be,” the other Flash speaks again and this time his voice sounds strange. As if he’s angry. Oliver can’t stop himself from looking away from the arrow that will most probably kill him and taking a glance at the other Barry. He can see the doppelganger is frowning under his dark cowl as he’s staring right at Oliver.

Even though he’s just an alternate version of his boyfriend, the other Flash doesn’t seem content with seeing an Oliver Queen die.

Al Sah-him huffs discontentedly in response but lowers the bow after a quick look into his partner’s eyes. “Let’s go then.”

They both disappear in a blink of an eye. Oliver finally lets out an angry groan of pain and just lays down on the ground for a moment. Barry always gets him into the most messed up situations.

ж

It was a trap and they walked right into it.

While Flash and Arrow were busy chasing after their evil counterparts, doppelgangers of Cisco and Laurel (it was more than three breachers after all) were robbing Mercury Labs. Barry is furious they got played that way but considering that Oliver had as much success in capturing his doppelganger and was as fooled by the whole plot, well, it makes him feel a little less like an idiot.

He still _feels_ the stickiness of that slushie on his face even though he rubbed it clean till his skin got angrily red. It’s so humiliating. Not only because he got his ass handed to him by his evil counterpart but also because the doppelgangers keep reminding him of his non-existent chance at anything more than the friendship they now have with Oliver.

It has been a bittersweet struggle to be around Oliver for some time now. Barry saw his devotion to Felicity since the very beginning and he hoped they will decide to act on their feelings despite the vigilante life. But Barry never came to see this, Felicity seemed to move on from Oliver while Barry seemed to have finally moved on from Iris, seeing how happy she is with Eddie… Only to walk into another trap of unrequited love but now for someone even more out of his reach.

And here the doppelgangers were, so obnoxiously together, rubbing it in everyone’s faces. Oliver must have been horrified when he saw the photos and then witnessed the scope of their counterparts’ relationship with his own eyes. The speedster can only hope Oliver won’t take notice of how it is all affecting Barry and won’t put even more distance between them.

Barry finally walks into the cortex after his merry chase and he’s _exhausted_. He was already frantically running around the city after losing the other Flash, but then he got the news from Cisco about the theft and decided to give it a try to look for the breachers around Mercury Labs. No luck there, of course.

He braces himself for seeing Oliver. The archer said he’d get back to the S.T.A.R. Labs by himself and he probably arrived some time ago considering how dangerously he rides his bike. Barry is always nervous around the other man but it’s usually kind of a bittersweet feeling that comes from being around your crush but now with this whole situation… He’s afraid to look into these blue eyes and see disgust there.

What he doesn’t expect is to find Oliver in Caitlin’s med bay.

“Oh my god, Ollie, were you hurt?” he asks before he can stop himself. “I asked you before going to Mercury Labs if you’re okay and you said--”

“I said I’m okay because _I am_. It’s really nothing, Barry. I’ve had much worse.”

“That’s not the point!” Barry almost whines, his eyes fixed on the wound on Oliver’s forearm. An arrow must have gone right through it. The speedster is almost thankful he came in as Caitlin was finishing with taking care of the wound because only after it is covered with a dressing, Barry seems to be able to get his mind around the situation. He’s acting ridiculous, it really isn’t that much of a wound considering that Barry helped him get out of worse when he was in Starling and met Arrow for the first time. Hell, Barry probably dealt him more damage when he was under Bivolo’s influence.

He really needs to get a grip.

“Sorry, you’re right,” he admits with a sigh, nervously running a hand through his cowl-tousled hair. “I’m just on the edge because of the breachers, I need to get my sugar under control.”

“Get some rest,” Oliver says, his voice soft. “We’ll work this out tomorrow, with clear heads.”

Barry nods. The archer is right, he is usually is when it comes to strategy.

“You need a lift anywhere? You shouldn’t strain your hand any more today, riding that bike.”

Oliver shakes his head. “I’ll stay the night here, in S.T.A.R. Labs,” he elaborates and the idea seems ridiculous to Barry at first but the archer continues: “If I go to a hotel it would be attracting additional attention to my presence in Central City and we should deal with the doppelgangers first, then with the media mess.”

Barry can’t really argue with this logic. He’s just happy to have Oliver here.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me longer to update than I expected and I'm sorry for that! Recently I'm just overwhelmed with everything, the amount of work I gotta do at home for my uni classes is getting out of hand. I wanted to squeeze a bit more of plot into this chapter but today I decided to end the second chapter a bit earlier than I originally planned and post it now. I'm finishing one of my interships next week so I should finally have more time for writing and editing - thus updating this fic more frequently :D
> 
> Thank you so much to all of you who left kudos and especially those of you who took time to write a comment under the first chapter! I really _really_ appeciate them! They're my fuel  <3

Barry arrives at S.T.A.R. Labs earlier than usual and it’s  _ definitely not _ because he wants to spend as much time as possible with Oliver during the archer’s stay in the city. He just doesn’t want Oliver to be mad at this whole situation since the breaches are kind of Barry’s fault and it’s all entirely because he doesn’t want the archer dissatisfied with him in case Barry needs his help in the future… Yes, that’s the only reason why Barry is so early in the Labs with two freshly brewed coffees in his hands.

He kind of knows Oliver is an early riser but he didn’t expect to catch him in the middle of his morning workout. Since most of Barry’s muscles were sculpted by his powers while he was comatose, he kind of forgets that normal people need regular exercise to be in Oliver’s shape…

Oliver is doing push-ups, on one arm, and without a shirt on. Barry’s brain short-circuits for a moment and he almost squeezes the coffee cups too hard and ends up spilling the hot contents all over himself. He’s feeling quite hot under the collar himself, he was barely flushed from the run here but now he’s getting red-faced just from watching Oliver’s bare back, the scars and tattoos scattered all over his skin, the muscles moving in a steady rhythm…

All Barry can do for a moment is just stare but fortunately he manages to get himself out of the hypnotic state before all of that blood that just rushed to his head starts travelling  _ lower _ . He mentally thanks god for Oliver being so focused that he didn’t notice the speedster’s arrival. Barry takes a deep breath, forcing his eyes to leave the expanse of Oliver’s back and look anywhere else, then he clears his throat.

Oliver startles slightly but does two more push-ups before getting up. 

“Didn’t hear you there,” he admits, looking weirdly abashed. It’s not an expression Barry ever thought he’d see on the archer’s face. 

“I brought coffee.” Barry says instead of commenting on Oliver’s distractedness in any way. He’s trying to either look at Oliver’s face when speaking to him or anywhere in the room when not, but his eyes keep coming back to the slightly sweaty chest of the man in front of him. There are even more scars and tattoos there that makes Barry’s fingerprints tingle with a desire to touch, more perfectly sculpted muscles which curves Barry wouldn’t mind learning with his mouth…

Barry really hopes that Oliver will focus on the coffee and won’t see the blush returning to his face. 

“I didn’t know what you eat for breakfast so I just brought coffee,” Barry says, handing the cup to the other man. “But if you want something I can make a run.”

“I could definitely use a breakfast,” Oliver says and takes a sip of the coffee, while musing on the offer. Then a tiny mischievous smile appears on his lips and Barry freezes at the sight - being at the end of the archer’s smiles always feels like a treat.  “Surprise me.”

For a moment Barry just  _ stares _ because playful Oliver is something he experiences way too little in his life. Then he replies with a grin of his own and runs off, taking on the challenge. 

He comes back with more than a dozen different bagels, because yeah, he may be a bit too eager to please. While he was gone, the archer has put on a t-shirt and Barry isn’t sure whether he’s more relieved or disappointed.

“Well, I hope this means you're joining me,” Oliver comments on the surplus of bagels. Barry actually didn't plan on that, he just wanted to end up with an assortment that will at least partially satisfy the archer, but now that he takes in the amount of food he brought, it does look like a serving for at least two of them. 

They go to the still empty cortex and take their seats by one of the tables. Barry observes as Oliver fishes out a turkey and pickles bagel out of the stack. The speedster chooses eggs and bacon, he will literally run it all off before dinner after all.

“So, how's Iris?” Oliver asks and there's something in his voice that reminds the speedster that the archer still thinks that Barry’s chasing the impossible dream of being with her. He doesn't know that Barry's interested in  _ someone else _ now, someone who's even more out of reach than his childhood friend… 

“She's great, actually,” Barry replies truthfully. “She's engaged to Eddie, her career is blooming. I'm really happy for her,” he smiles and Barry can see that Oliver’s analysing his every word. 

“I’m glad you feel this way about it then,” he’s uttering every word slowly and carefully, as if he still isn’t sure they’re on the same page. 

“Me too, it’s refreshing to be simply happy for her, without feeling sorry for myself at the same time,” Barry admits, reaching for another bagel. “She and Eddie make a really good couple.”

When Barry finally looks up at the other man after the confession, there’s a small smile on Oliver’s lips. As if he was genuinely happy for Barry and wasn’t able to fully contain it under his grumpy mask. Barry’s heart makes a flip and he focuses back on the food.

They continue eating in comfortable silence until Cisco’s arrival reminds Barry that he needs to get to his work, too. He leaves his team and Oliver to come up with strategies against the breachers while he pretends it’s just another day at CCPD, although truly his mind is preoccupied with the doppelgangers and the archer.

ж

It kind of makes sense that after kicking their asses the doppelgangers don’t feel threatened at all and continue to make  _ appearances _ in the city. It is also simply rude. Which shouldn’t come as a surprise since they’re the  _ evil _ twins.

They hang out in a club this time, again as Oliver Queen and Barry Allen. The gutter press will be delighted with even more scandalous material of the z-list-nowadays celebrity and his apparent  _ boyfriend _ . Seems like “unexpectedly gay” is always a good scoop. This will be such a mess to deal with once they’re done with the doppelgangers…

Barry observes their guests from Earth-27 from a dark corner of the club, waiting for Oliver to arrive. They decided they shouldn’t fight their counterparts separately the next time they find them so even though the men are  _ right there _ , Barry grits his teeth and waits for the archer. He’s not the one used to the stake-outs and patience isn’t one of his virtues but he really wants this to be over and done with and waiting for Oliver  _ is _ the best course of action. When Barry joined his team and Oliver after distractedly going through paperwork all day at CCPD, they had already come up with a plan.

Firstly, they are not to take on their own doppelgangers. It seemed a logical start knowing how the last meeting went down. Oliver had a strategy ready for taking down the other Flash but Barry’s part required some preparation. If Barry was to take down Al Sah-him, he had to learn his openings - which were known to Oliver, especially after fighting with the man and confirming they mostly match his own.

Barry is still a bit shaken by the trust Oliver has put in him by teaching him Al Sah-him’s - meaning also his own - weaknesses. There is no guarantee that a situation in which they will have to fight each other won’t take place again. And if Barry knew back then, during the Bivolo-induced rage battle, what he knows now, he may have seriously harmed Oliver. 

However, Oliver didn’t even hesitate when they trained today and he revealed more and more of his tactics. He didn’t seem discontented with the whole ordeal, as the speedster expected, when with every attempt Barry took him down faster. To the contrary, after Barry nailed the attack sequence they were polishing for what seemed like hours, after Barry pinned the other man to the ground and managed to keep him there, bow and arrows out of the archer’s reach, Oliver grinned at him with pride. Barry’s heart starts beating faster at the very memory of it.

But the momentarily warm feeling in his chest is soon replaced with frustration once again. While Barry is losing his nerves waiting, their doppelgangers look like they’re having the time of their life. They’re in the middle of the dance floor, moving with the rhythm, looking like they’re in their element. As always, they’re also quite obscene. The other Oliver is wearing a dark green tank top that’s deliciously hugging all of the muscles of his stomach and back. It’s hard to decide whether to stare at the play of muscles under the piece of cloth or at the bared strong arms. The other Barry doesn’t seem at a loss as his hands travel from his partner’s abs to his biceps and back again, and again. The archer’s hands are on the other speedster’s ass, their hips are joined and moving sensuously with the music. They seem to be within their own bubble among other dancers, their eyes almost never breaking contact. They occasionally lean in to steal a brief kiss or say something into the other’s ear but they pay almost no attention to what’s happening around them. As if no one and nothing else mattered.

Barry  _ hates them so much _ .

He doesn’t as much hear as he feels Oliver joining him in the dark corner. For a moment they just stay this way, observing their doppelgangers without exchanging a word or even a glance. 

It’s difficult for Barry to see their evil counterparts being the obnoxious boyfriends because of his  _ feelings _ towards the archer but how weird it must be for Oliver to see his mirror image being with Barry’s doppelganger in such a way? Oliver has been shedding his composed mask more often in front of Barry and the speedster is learning how to read him more and more but the archer has been really careful about this whole situation. Is it because he’s disgusted but he doesn’t want Barry to feel bad about it just because he’s polite about such things? Is he angry at Barry for causing the whole situation with breaches in the first place? It’s driving Barry up the wall, not knowing… The other vigilante said that he’s always there for Barry if he wants to talk but the speedster feels that this offer didn’t include talking about  _ Oliver’s  _ feelings.

ж

Oliver’s fist clenches his bow a little tighter as he fights the urge to pin Barry to the nearest wall and kiss him senseless, feel the speedster’s impossible body against his… This whole situation is making him second-guess his own decision not to get Barry further involved in the toxic mess that is his life, making him want to break that resolution for just a taste of being with someone as full of light as the speedster. But he  _ can’t… _ Can he?

Every time they team-up it becomes more and more difficult to remember that getting Barry further involved in his life is a bad idea. Sometimes he wishes Barry wasn’t so  _ good _ , that he wouldn’t still stick with him despite Oliver attacking and disrespecting him after the other man saved his life. But this is what makes him Barry, isn’t it? What makes him so enthralling. He still remembers that day when he learnt about Barry’s powers… After losing Sara to the grip of death and Felicity to his own resolve, he got that cryptic call from the peculiar CSI from Central City and seeing him on that rooftop, seeking aspiration from Oliver, that one moment was enough to remind him there’s still light and hope in the world. Barry thought he was getting help from Oliver but he never knew how he, again, helped the archer.

Since then it was a fall Oliver was unable to stop. He found himself seeking the other man’s warmth and unrelenting belief in the archer while he himself had none. He rarely indulged himself and chose to get closer to the man again but whenever Barry reached to him, he just couldn’t say no. It is so easy to feel like you matter around Barry… Oliver wasn’t sure when he started caring too much for the man, when being around Felicity stopped being painful, when that pain was replaced by longing for another person. By the time he realized what happened, it was too late for prevention, he could only take care of the consequences and promise himself he won’t ever compromise Barry by getting too close. He has managed to keep that promise.

Until now.

He knows he shouldn’t compare his Barry and himself to their doppelgangers - still he can’t help but do it. They seem a perfect match and that fact seems to have nested in his mind. But the doppelgangers are also so  _ different _ , the other Barry is already compromised… Oliver can’t help but wonder whether in their case it would be Oliver’s darkness that would infest Barry or maybe it would be Barry’s light slithering his way into Oliver’s life. It hurts to stop himself from trying to find out.

Especially now, seeing their counterparts together, with his Barry so close--

Al Sah-him abruptly turns his head towards them. “Now!” Oliver says to Barry and the other man is on the move before the syllable fully falls from his mouth. He flashes out of the building taking Al Sah-him with him. Oliver takes advantage of the moment of the other speedster’s confusion and the chaos created by panicking people and releases the arrow prepared for the doppelganger. One filled with the same drug they used to take down the Reverse Flash. 

Before the arrow hits the doppelganger in the shoulder, the smoke bombs that Oliver told Barry to throw into the crowd on his way out go off and Oliver runs towards the speedster to take him down before he realizes it wasn’t an ordinary arrow. If the doppelganger tries to vibrate the serum out of his system before it starts working - well, Oliver doesn’t want to consider this because they didn’t have time to come up with plan B. 

The other Barry tries to flash out of the room but he’s stopped short after a few steps, only then noticing what he was hit with. By that time Oliver is close enough to hit the other man with his own fists but the speedster manages a dodge, still a bit faster than possible for a regular human being. Oliver recognizes the move itself, Al Sah-him must have taught his partner some practical manoeuvres. 

The other Barry’s struggle makes the serum spread faster through his body and soon they’re both fighting at the same speed. From then on, it takes Oliver three more moves to put the other Barry on the ground and stab him with another arrow with syringe tip, this time containing a heavy sedative. 

When he walks out of the building with the doppelganger over his shoulder, his Barry is already waiting with Al Sah-him bound on the ground next to his feet and a grin on his lips. Oliver can’t help but reciprocate the smile.

ж

“Two down, two to go,” Barry announces when the doppelganger Flash and Al Sah-him are locked away in the pipeline for now. “We need to come up with a way to find the other Cisco and Laurel now, I don’t think our evil twins will spill anything…”

Oliver nods in agreement. Their doppelgangers may differ from them in quite profound ways but Oliver feels that they share their temperament when it comes to stubbornness and loyalty.

Barry continues to talk as they walk back to the cortex. “These two will be harder to locate. Breachers Barry and Oliver were much more--” his voice falters and Oliver has to physically make himself continue looking forwards and not at Barry’s stupid pretty face and his lips while they discuss in what ways  _ much more _ their doppelgangers are. “--all over the place,” Barry murmurs awkwardly.

“We’ve got their gear now, maybe we will find some clues as to where they are all hiding,” Oliver observes and Barry gasps. Oliver turns to look at him questioningly. His hair is ruffled from the cowl and looks so soft, the archer has to clench his fists for a moment to stop himself from reaching to touch it.

“Cisco can try to vibe their location now that we have their stuff!”

They speed up but Barry does not flash ahead, as Oliver partially expects to happen, and still walks together with the archer. Barry calls Cisco’s name excitedly when they’re at the entrance to the cortex but he never gets to explain his idea as some kind of alarm stars blaring over his words.

“What is it?” Oliver asks. He’s already tense, his mindset almost fully shifted into the Arrow again after his brief relaxed moment. Being with Barry usually does that to him, makes him loosen up, even if for a bit.

“The breach is opening again,” Cisco exclaims with a whine. Oliver shares the feeling. “The one to Earth-27.”

Oliver searches for Barry’s eyes and once he has the speedster looking back at him, he gives a nod. Understanding flickers in the green eyes and heartbeat later the world blurs as Barry transports them both to the breach.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I made you wait this long for the next chapter but I was changing flats (moving is a bitch, my friends) and then I took part in [DCCW Rarepair Swap](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11302836). But I'm back with full intention to finish this story. I hope the length of this chapter (it's almost as long as both previous ones) will make up to you some of the waiting :)   
> Thank you all who are still reading this fic and leaving kudos and (especially) comments, I really appreciate it <3<3<3

They stop in front of the portal just as two figures step out of it. Oliver grinds his teeth to work through the slight vertigo, which usually comes after travelling at super speed, and draws his bow ready to attack if the new breachers turn out to be hostile.

One of the newcomers is without a mask, only wears a pair of goggles on his forehead, and Oliver quickly identifies him as the doppelganger of one of Barry’s enemies, nicknamed by Cisco as Captain Cold. Though he doesn’t seem to be carrying any sort of gun or visible weapon with him. The other breacher is masked, his outfit looks like a mixture of Malcolm Merlyn’s attire and Oliver’s own. He is an archer as well and that has Oliver tightening his grip on his own bow. There’s something familiar about that man’s posture and it has Oliver on edge. The bow-wielding newcomer wears a mask that covers the lower part of his face but… It can’t be.

“I’m assuming you’re Oliver of _this_ Earth or that arrow would have already been released,” the other archer says. His voice is modulated. “We just want to collect some rogue visitors to your world and leave you be.”

The newcomers both raise their hands to show they’re not holding any weapons and start approaching, slowly.

“Why should we trust you that you don’t want to join them in wreaking havoc in my city?” Barry asks, his stance defensive.

“You shouldn’t, I guess,” the other Cold says with a smirk. “Just as we have no reason to trust you. You probably noticed that our Queen and Allen are a bit naughty. It doesn’t mean anything that you’re more... colourful on this Earth,” he adds, taking in their suits.

At this point they’re only few steps apart and the breachers stop their approach. Oliver looks back to the archer. He can’t shake the feeling that…

“Tommy?” he dares to ask, his voice almost steady. The archer’s eyes widen just a little bit in the contained shock and then one of his hands slowly reaches to tug his mask down.

It _is_ him. Oliver’s arms drop to his sides along with his bow and arrow, he can’t stand to aim any weapon at Tommy, even if he knows it’s not _his_ Tommy…

Oliver feels Barry’s gaze on him and then sees from the corner of his eye how the speedster looks at both men in front of them, then sighs.

“You haven’t attacked us yet and we need to do _something_ about the rest of the breachers so I guess we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Cold’s doppelganger smiles mischievously but nods in approval.

ж

While Oliver takes the new breachers to some abandoned building he found some time ago (which of courses he did) in order to discuss tactics, Barry runs to S.T.A.R. Labs. They don’t trust the new breachers and still don’t know much about them so they decide not to point them in the direction of the captured doppelgangers by taking them to the same building. Still, Barry decides to take a chance and try to get some information on the other Snart and other Tommy Merlyn from their captives.

Barry hesitates for a moment when he’s near the cells. Talking with his doppelganger gives him creeps but the other Oliver is probably even more devious...

In the end, he decides to take a chance with Al Sah-him.

The breacher is sitting on the floor of the cell, his face a dire mask. When he notices Barry, though, his lips spread in an ominous smile.

“Oh, hello.”

Al Sah-him stands up in one fluid motion and looks at Barry with curiosity. “What brings you to my humble abode?” he teases, gesturing around himself to indicate the cell.

“Just checking on you,” Barry answers offhandedly. “We know you two are not the only visitors from your Earth so someone may come fetch you.”

Al Sah-him observes him closely but doesn’t say anything this time. His arms are crossed over his chest and the gesture is too familiar. He looks so much like his Oliver that it hurts. There are slight differences but there are moments when he can’t really see them.

“Your speedster is out of the picture as well but who knows what other skilled associates you have up your sleeve,” Barry wonders out loud. “Maybe you’ve got a teleporter or a damned ninja who could have gotten you out while we were busy looking for them.”

Barry ruffles his hair in attempt to hide his nervousness. Archer’s blue eyes are watching him carefully, with amusement but Barry still can discern the lethal nature hidden within.

“Considering the attitudes you two have shown who knows what kind of crowd you’re keeping with,” Barry continues his charade. “We know Mercury Labs were robbed, on this Earth it would usually be work of someone like Snart but you can never be sure with different Earths and doppelgangers.”

Somehow, Al Sah-him takes the bait. He doesn’t really reveal anything about his companions but still manages to help with their most recent trust issue.

“Snart, a thief?” he snorts. “I would really like to meet your Snart now.”

Barry feigns shock. “Your Snart isn’t?”

“He’s a naive do-gooder like you two here,” Al Sah-him murmurs. “Such potential wasted…” he sighs. “Oh, just look at you, these doe eyes, I would _love_ to corrupt you.”

The smirk on Al Sah-him’s lips gives Barry a pause - to witness Oliver’s eyes looking at him with such honest hunger is a bit too much for a second there - but he manages to compose himself.

Barry scoffs at the imprisoned man. He got what he came for, time to end this conversation before Al Sah-him manages to influence Barry in any way.

“Well, you seem like you’re having a lot of fun here,” the speedster retorts. “And I got other things to attend to beside checking up on prisoners.”

ж

Oliver can’t stop himself from staring at Tommy’s doppelganger. It’s rude, for one, but then it’s so bittersweet to see these eyes again--

He shakes his head slightly to focus on the matter at hand. “So, do you know _why_ they came here?” Oliver asks, speaking the question in the general direction of the so-far-friendly breachers. He’s still not sure which of the men is in charge.

“They’re on an unholy quest to collect some equipment parts for Doctor Constantine,” Snart answers after a few seconds and exchanging a quick look with Tommy.

Oliver can’t stop himself from suddenly turning his head towards Snart when he speaks John’s name.

“ _Doctor_ Constantine?” he repeats, articulating the first word as if it was a foreign concept. John is a specialist in his thing but Oliver doesn’t recall him ever using a title like this.

“Like Doctor Frankenstein,” Snart explains in a tone indicating that Oliver is an idiot. “Since he likes playing with raising the dead so much. Don’t you have a Constantine here?” he asks. “Or maybe you don’t have Frankenstein?” he adds almost as an afterthought.

“We have both,” Oliver answers, pinching the bridge of his nose. He has enough of Snart’s attitude already. It’s enough that he has to deal with having Barry _and_ Tommy so close and so out of reach… “But here Constantine is just that, he deals with magic, not twisted science.”

“Interesting,” Snart drawls. “Well, our Constantine needs his toys and they’re often out of our world, _literally._ This is not the first alternative Earth we visited to collect the Doctor’s rogue equipment hunters. It’s the first time we’re chasing Queen and Allen, though. It’s usually above them, they have enough League underlings to send on their behalf.”

Oliver squints his eyes. “Do you know what could have happened that they decided to work for him now? To come here?” It’s not really that relevant to the mission but Oliver feels like he needs to know.

This time it’s Tommy who answers, in a quiet voice. “They’re trying to resurrect Sara Lance.”

For a second all of the grief Oliver felt after losing Sara hits him in the gut again. He composes himself as quickly as he can manage but it is enough of an opening for the breachers.

“I see you can relate,” Tommy comments but there’s no cruelty in his words. No compassion either. He’s simply gathering the facts.

“Yes,” Oliver admits but decides to reveal nothing more. He’s unstable enough already. He just wants someone to hit at this point. “Did you come here with any sort of plan how to locate your escaped _friends_?”

The breachers have no time to answer as this is the moment when Barry flashes in. Oliver and Barry exchange a glance and it’s enough for both of them to establish that they both decided to temporarily trust the doppelganger Snart and Tommy.

“We’ve already managed to capture your Flash and Al Sah-him,” Barry reveals. “We’ve got them caged and I’ve just checked that everything is in order.”

“We gathered intel that beside them, there’s also Cisco Ramon and Laurel Lance from your Earth still at large here,” Oliver adds. “Do you have any differing information or know anything more?”

“We know of the same party that travelled here,” Tommy answers. “To be honest, we expected biggest trouble with Queen and Allen but now that you already have them, this should be easy,” he smiles and Oliver feels his chest tighten at the sight. Tommy thankfully doesn’t notice Oliver’s weird stares and continues. “Our Caitlin Snow came up with a device that can help us find Cisco Ramon. His powers are unique enough to give out certain energy that can be located with right equipment.”

“At least your Cailtin is on the right side, huh?” Barry comments before he can stop himself.

“She wasn’t always,” Snart responds but adds nothing more. He takes out a device out of a large pocket of his cargo pants and shows it to Barry and Oliver. “I understand you’d like to monitor our actions?” he asks with one eyebrow raised. There is still no love lost between the teams from different Earths but they all understand that cooperation will speed things up.

Barry nods and approaches Snart and they both lean to look at the device’s screen. Oliver is glad that Barry seems okay after the meeting with their doppelgangers. He’s not sure with which of the two the speedster has spoken to but either of them could have spooked Barry with their attitude. Normally, Oliver would have gone, he’s more used to dealing with psychopaths, but time was of the essence and someone had to stay with the newcomers.

Oliver is so preoccupied with observing Barry for any signs of distress that he actually doesn’t register Tommy getting closer. He looks up when there’s just two steps of distance between them.

“Hey,” Tommy accosts and he’s visibly tense. “I couldn’t help but notice that it seems you and your Tommy Merlyn were on different terms than I am with Oliver Queen on our Earth.”

“Sorry if I seemed shaken to see you at first,” Oliver admits, avoiding looking straight at the man. “My Tommy died some time ago.”

“It’s not only that,” the other archer observes.

“We were best friends since I can remember.” Oliver sighs inaudibly and makes himself look into Tommy’s eyes. Maybe he needs to finally say it, even to _a_ Tommy. Maybe he’ll finally get any closure... “For me, he was more than that but he never learnt about my feelings.”

Tommy’s doppelganger nods with understanding. “I’m sorry to have brought discomfort to you. I hope we’ll be out of your hair soon.”

“It’s okay, you can’t help it,” Oliver smiles tenderly. “It’s just quite… bittersweet to be able to see his, _your_ , face… To be able to talk to you.”

Tommy returns the smile but they don’t exchange any more words as in this exact moment Barry announces they’ve got something. Oliver and Tommy approach the other men and look at the screen.

There are two red dots on the displayed map.

“Here, that’s this Earth Cisco,” Barry points with a gloved finger. Oliver recognizes the location of S.T.A.R. Labs as well. “But this…” he moves his finger to the second dot and taps the screen. “This must be the breacher.”

ж

The plan is quite simple. Metas take care of the metas and regular people deal with regular people.

For that simple plan to be devised, more facts about the breachers had to be disclosed. Oliver still wonders whether Snart would reveal his powers if not for Barry’s goofy comment about the doppelganger not carrying a big ass cold gun to compensate, as Earth-1’s Captain Cold does. Only then they learnt that Earth-27 Snart is a meta-human who holds powers similar to Killer Frost. He’s usually the best bet to take down The Flash in their world and it was his main purpose in coming to Earth-1. But now that their Flash is already held captive, there is only one other meta to deal with. Cisco Ramon may not be a speedster but no one likes too much cold.

Oliver and Tommy quickly synchronise as a team. They sneak into the building unnoticed and locate Laurel’s doppelganger. When they find her, she’s looking through some data on a tablet, sitting on the side. The archers wait in the shadows for Barry and Snart to barge in and incapacitate Cisco’s doppelganger since the element of surprise may be more useful with taking down a meta.

After hearing the _whoosh_ of a speedster running into the room, Oliver and Tommy exchange a quick look and attack Laurel together. She puts up a fight but the archers soon get an upper hand. After getting a better look at her, Oliver is sure it wouldn’t have gone down as smoothly if Laurel was in better shape. She’s visibly a wreck and that must have taken a toll on her shape. She must be still mourning her sister.

Cisco’s doppelganger has a significantly better control over his powers than their Cisco does but he still doesn’t stand a chance against a speedster and a meta like Snart. The meta team-up doesn’t go as smoothly as Oliver and Tommy’s but in the end it’s the result that matters. Cisco Ramon and Laurel Lance of Earth-27 are no longer out of control on Earth-1.

ж

They don’t celebrate or waste time on chit-chat about different Earths. Once all the unwanted guests from Earth-27 are contained, they transport them to the breach to return them to their respectful world.

“It was fun,” Snart comments as they wait for the breach to open, in a tone that indicates the opposite.

“Oh come on, we’re not that bad,” Barry replies with a grin.

Oliver is sure the wicked breachers would have much more to say about the matter. Fortunately they’re not able to add their insight as they were all put to sleep for the journey on Snart and Tommy’s request.

Tommy nudges Oliver with his elbow and starts speaking quietly, “My Oliver Queen and I were friends as kids but we drifted apart as we grew up. It was nice to experience what might have been with different circumstances. It felt good to fight by your side.”

“Yes, it felt good,” Oliver agrees. “And sorry for burdening you with what I said earlier.”

“It’s quite alright,” Tommy smiles, genuinely, and it feels a bit more cathartic to Oliver than it probably should.

The breach finally opens and, unexpectedly, Tommy opens his arms for a hug. Oliver hesitates for just a heartbeat.

He embraces the other archer briefly but allows himself a second to forget it’s not really his Tommy.

When he sees the breachers leave through the portal, Oliver feels like maybe he’ll finally be free of that part of himself he should have let go of a long time ago.

ж

The breachers are gone but unfortunately it doesn’t mean Oliver and Barry have nothing to worry about for at least one evening. They still need to deal with the consequences of their doppelgangers’ visit.

Iris promised to use her connections to release a statement that the photos of Oliver Queen kissing a man were photoshopped and now that the breachers are gone it’s the perfect time to do it. But instead of going with that plan, Iris asked to meet them in the Cortex to discuss the situation and it doesn’t bode well. Barry can’t help but pace around the room as they wait. He can feel Oliver’s eyes following him but the archer says nothing. It seems like ages before Iris arrives and Barry knows it’s bad just from her tight smile as she greets them.

“You need to see something,” she sighs and types something on the nearest computer. A few seconds later a website appears on the screens around the cortex.

“There’s a video,” Barry states in a gravely voice as he sees the title of the article. Iris doesn’t reply, just scrolls down and clicks play.

The doppelgangers again. Dancing in that damned club before Flash and Arrow caught them.

“They had a really good camera,” Iris says with a sigh. “Even though it was a club so the lighting isn’t the best, you can clearly see who it is.”

“We can’t say _this_ was photoshopped,” Barry admits and he feels almost stupid for stating the obvious again but he feels like he needs to say it all out loud, somehow hoping that somebody will call bullshit and present the situation as less messed up. No one does.

Oliver has been silent since his short greeting said to Iris and Barry now looks at him expectantly. The archer is sitting with his arms crossed over his chest, staring somewhere at the screen with a frown on his face. Barry gets distracted by his biceps for a moment before calling: “Ollie?”

“I have my fair share of experience with this kind of… attention,” he says and he sounds as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth. “It will blow over, they’ll get interested in something else soon. Until they do…” he takes a deep breath. “Until they do we just need to pretend we are involved, just if anyone asks. If it doesn’t blow over, we’ll make a break up scene or something but for now I don’t want to give them any more material.”

Oliver finally looks straight at Barry. “If that is okay with you?”

Barry’s brain short-circuits for a moment because did Oliver just propose that they pretend they’re dating for the press? He looks at Iris, as if she could make the decision for him.

“It might actually work in this situation,” she admits but she doesn’t sound enthusiastic. “I’ll leave you two to discuss it, call me if you need anything.”

She gives Barry a brief hug and nods at Oliver before she’s gone. Only then Oliver speaks again.

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable about all this or create any additional problems for you, if you need all of this denied then we _will_ come up with something--”

Barry needs a moment but he finally reads between the lines of what Oliver is saying.

“I don’t have a problem with being publically involved with a man,” he cuts into the other man’s words. “It’s not like it’s impossible that something like this will ever happen for real,” he tries to explain his thoughts without coming out directly. He never really _talked_ about his sexuality with anyone except Iris - and that was only once and he was drunk. Besides, he still doesn’t really feel like putting tags on his feelings, it’s all too complicated and fluid. If he is attracted to someone, things like gender don’t really matter... It’s even  harder for him to put it into words while talking to _Oliver_.

“I thought _you_ wouldn’t want--” Barry says awkwardly but it’s Oliver’s turn to interrupt him. He laughs and it stops the speedster instantly.

“It was my mom who wanted all of my _adventures_ with men, as she called them, covered up. I don’t see how me being bi is going to harm the Queen name in any way. I mean… It’s rather something to be proud of.”

Barry feels shaken though he’s not sure if it was more the directness of Oliver’s confession that moved him or the fact itself that Oliver is also into men. The knowledge should make it all easier, should be the encouragement to act on his feelings… In reality it makes it all harder to know that Oliver would be available if they weren’t who they are - vigilantes who can’t afford to have any strings attached and, well, friends. Barry is _as much as_ a friend to Oliver and _just_ that.

“Okay, let’s do it,” he hears himself say instead of anything else. “You’re right, they will find a new topic soon and it will blow over on its own.”

Oliver nods but Barry can’t really tell if the archer is glad he agreed to go with the plan.

“As my fake-boyfriend you can take me somewhere they serve alcohol now because I need a drink,” Oliver tells him as he gets up. Barry laughs but his heart is not really much into it. He wishes he was taking Oliver as his boyfriend anywhere… But they’re still just friends hanging out as they usually do. He knows he shouldn’t be bitter about it, he appreciates being Oliver’s friend a lot but he still can’t help but want more…

“Let’s go, Mr. celebrity,” he jokes back and they leave the cortex walking shoulder to shoulder.

ж

Oliver downs the shot of vodka and sighs at the familiar burning of alcohol in his mouth. He feels almost stupid for turning to drinking. It’s something that the old Oliver would do but meeting Tommy, even if it was just a version of him, made him feel the past longing for his best friend and that was how he dealt with it back then… It all also amplified the yearning for Barry that’s become almost unbearable these last few days.

He orders another shot but lets it stand in front of him for now. Barry is sipping on his Bloody Mary even though he can’t really feel any buzz from it with his metabolism, he still likes the taste - or that’s what he said when Oliver offered to buy him something.

They talk over their drinks, first complaining about the whole doppelganger issue but then moving on to various topics. Oliver even lets himself be convinced to talk about some of Tommy and his shenanigans from their teenage years. At first he’s reluctant to think more about Tommy today but then Barry bursts out laughing at some of the ridiculousness Oliver recalls and hearing that sound and seeing the joyous sparkles in the speedster’s eyes -  it’s all worth the journey down the memory lane. In turn Barry tells his stories, usually involving Cisco and some failed experiments or some adventures he had with Iris, and Oliver feels himself smile and laugh as well, feeling relaxed and content in a way he hasn’t for some time now.

Throughout the evening Oliver can’t help but be aware of how Barry’s eyes sometimes wander to his lips or over the muscles of his arms, he has taken notice of it before but never wanted to look more into it. He knows he is conventionally handsome and attracts looks, he had taken advantage of it a lot in his past. However, they don’t always mean anything more past momentary appreciation and he always stopped himself from wondering if maybe they do in Barry’s case. There’s a significant difference between simply finding someone aesthetically pleasing and actually wanting to try being with another person… Tonight, he can’t help but try to decipher the looks Barry’s giving him for more clues about his intentions.

He downed his second shot some time ago but he didn’t order another one. He knows he can handle his vodka, he drank his fair share with Russians after all, but still he doesn’t want to get drunk now. Not when he’s starting to feel that maybe he deserves to try after all, that maybe if the other man wants him at least a little bit as much as he desires the speedster then maybe he could make Barry happy…

Later he can’t remember what was it that pushed him to finally do it, Barry’s honest smile or the way he looks at Oliver like he’s someone precious or just the pent-up need to get closer to the speedster. He only knows that at one moment his hands raise to cup Barry’s face and the other man shudders at Oliver’s touch. Then he’s getting closer and Barry takes a sharp intake of breath but doesn’t express any objection. Oliver doesn’t feel brave enough to look into Barry’s eyes before their lips finally touch, gently at first with Oliver still afraid that in a moment he will be punched in the face… But Barry doesn’t withdraw, he reciprocates with his lips moving as shyly as Oliver’s and this is enough to make the archer give in to his need. He deepens the kiss, his tongue tasting the Bloody Mary as he licks into the speedster’s mouth. One of his hands moves to Barry’s soft hair and guides the other man’s head to move for a better angle. Barry makes a needy sound somewhere in his throat that is almost lost to the buzz of the bar but Oliver feels it with his other hand still cupping the speedster’s jaw.

Finally experiencing this closeness to Barry is like drinking water after aeons of thirst and it’s enough to make Oliver forget to mind his surroundings. When a flash of a photo camera goes off, they both startle and withdraw to look for the source of it but they only manage to get a glimpse of a guy running out of the bar.

“So, yeah--” Barry mumbles after a moment of their shared confoundment. He’s avoiding looking Oliver in the eyes by staring intently at his almost empty glass. “I don’t know how you knew he was there but, erm, good timing.”

It takes a moment for Oliver to understand what Barry’s words mean. Then the realisation hits him as if a bucket of cold water was just poured over him.

Barry thinks it was all for show for the media. They’re supposed to keep up the charade after all - all according to Oliver’s plan.

Oliver’s so shaken by the fact that the other man thought it was just an act that he’s unable to react in any way. What if this is Barry’s way of disregarding the kiss and Oliver should respect it and just play along? But what if Barry honestly thinks it was fake and they actually still have a chance?

“We should leave before the word gets out we’re here and we’re swarmed by more people wanting pictures,” Barry is already on his feet and Oliver feels like a child lost in a supermarket. With Barry, things are often happening too fast and now he could really use a break to just sit down and analyze the situation. He’s not granted that privilege, though, and finds himself following Barry out of the bar before he can say anything to slow the speedster down.

“I should head home, I need to work tomorrow and I shouldn’t be late again,” Barry blurts out once they’re outside. Oliver wants to talk to him about what just happened but he isn’t going to pressure Barry into anything he’s not comfortable with - and right now he looks really uncomfortable.

“Sure, okay, it was a long day. See you,” Oliver lets Barry go with a heavy heart.

Barry finally looks him in the eye while skittishly saying goodbye and seconds later he’s a red blur on the horizon. Oliver sighs heavily, suddenly feeling tired to the bone. He doesn’t feel like going back to S.T.A.R. Labs tonight so he heads to the nearest hotel. He can only wish that getting some sleep will clear his head and hope that he hasn’t made a mistake tonight and lost what he already had with Barry.

ж

Barry definitely didn’t expect this night to end like this but he’s not really complaining. Not that he has a mind clear enough to think about anything complex - being fucked by Oliver Queen would do that to you.

After that misunderstanding at the bar, Barry just wanted to forget about the whole thing and pretend it didn’t happen next time he sees Oliver. But then the archer showed up in his room, explaining how he couldn’t sleep, that he needed to clear the situation. Once it turned out they both want something more from their relationship, it all became a blur of kisses and lost clothes. Now Barry is moaning his throat hoarse while Oliver is fucking him relentlessly against the wall, his strong arms keeping the speedster exactly where the archer wants him. All of that suppressed desire is making it simultaneously too intense and not enough.

“I’ve wanted you for _so long_ ,” Oliver breathes out against Barry’s mouth, thrusting into him with a perfect rhythm. Barry’s grip on his lover’s shoulders tightens and he wants to say something back but he’s just so close it’s almost impossible to utter anything making sense. He feels the confessions he’s not yet ready to spill right there on his tongue so he crashes their lips together once again.

“Ollie, please, don’t stop--”

ж

Barry wakes up covered in sweat and with quite an embarrassing erection. The dream is still so fresh in his mind that he just keeps his eyes closed, recalling the feeling of the strong arms and Oliver’s cock filling him so stunningly good, as he clumsily slides his underwear down his hips. He stifles a groan when his hand finally wraps around his aching member. In his mind Oliver is looking at him with so much desire and emotion that it doesn’t take long before he’s moaning the archer’s name into his pillow as he comes almost violently.

He’s breathing heavily, unable to move despite the uncomfortable stickiness covering his hand. The afterglow is wearing off and he’s starting to re-evaluate his whole life. How is he going to look Oliver in the eyes tomorrow?

ж

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wish you find this chapter satysfying. It's the longest so far and it took a lot from me to write it as it is ^^" All comments will be very appreciated, as always. Thank you so much to all of you who already left kudos or a comment, I love you all!
> 
> If any of you misses our Earth-27 bad boys, [I have written a separate piece about them](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11450499/chapters/25664880) for this year's olivarry week, please enjoy! I added it to the same series as _Smooth Criminals_ to keep the naughty boys in one place  >:D

To say that Barry is having a bad morning would be an understatement. He didn’t really get much sleep after _that_ dream but he still managed to oversleep. He didn’t have time to get coffee from Jitters (unfortunately it can’t brew at super-speed) and now that he’s finally in his lab at the station, he realizes he didn’t finish a report that was supposed to be delivered to the Captain five minutes ago.

Of course, Captain Singh decides to remind Barry about the report in person today. The spooked expression that must be present on Barry’s face seems to be enough of a giveaway because Singh doesn’t even ask whether it’s done, just sighs.

“I’ll have it finished in forty five minutes,” Barry says with an apologetic look.

“Fortunately, it can actually wait an hour,” Singh replies. Then a little knowing smile appears on his lips. “I know your boyfriend is in town, you must see each other quite rarely with such distance. I’ll let it slip,” he says and _winks_. Barry doesn’t really know what to say but he feels his cheeks burning and that must be enough of an answer for Singh. He smiles at his CSI with genuine kindness and Barry feels his heart being squeezed at that sight. He feels so _wrong_ lying about being with Oliver in front of his Captain of all people.

Then, just to make this morning even worse, Oliver walks in.

“I brought you coffee,” Oliver says by a way of explaining his presence and raises a takeaway cup in his hand for evidence. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important?” The archer asks as he hesitantly walks towards Barry.

Barry sees Singh observing them with that kind look again, and he feels like shit for doing it, but he must keep up the appearances. He approaches Oliver and leans in for a short greeting kiss. Oliver plays along and he must be really good at this game because he actually follows Barry’s lips for a second when they part.

“Thank you, Ollie, you’re a life-saver,” Barry says, taking the coffee from the other man. He makes a conscious effort to make their fingers brush for show.

“I expect that report in an hour,” Singh announces as he starts walking towards the exit, an amused look on his face.

“Sure, Captain. Thank you.”

Singh stops for a moment on his way out, turns to face Oliver and says almost off-handedly: “Take care of him, Mr Queen.” Then he continues to walk out and closes the door behind him.

Barry takes a step back from Oliver the moment he hears the click of shut door. “I’m so sorry for this but Singh _was just saying_ he knows about us and you walked in and _he has a husband_ , it was so wrong to do it to him but I had to--” he stops abruptly when he feels Oliver’s hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Barry, we agreed to do this,” he says calmly. Barry closes his eyes for a second to soak in some of the archer’s tranquility. It works, as usual. He opens his eyes and Oliver is still there, right in front of him. He’s smiling at him kindly and it makes Barry’s heart ache for a completely different reason.

“I know but I just felt so bad doing it to Singh…”

Oliver’s hand is still resting on Barry’s shoulder and he squeezes it in sympathy now. Barry’s not sure if these close gestures make things better or worse.

“Oh, your coffee,” Barry extends it to Oliver, assuming the archer used it as a prop in front of Singh. But Oliver shakes his head with a smile.

“I _did_ bring it for you.”

After Barry’s confused look, Oliver sighs.

“I’m sorry for yesterday, I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

For a moment, Barry just stares. Did Oliver Queen just apologise to him?

“I appreciate,” Barry looks at the coffee. “But I was the one who acted weird yesterday, I really enjoyed hanging out with you.”

“I enjoyed it, too,” Oliver admits. Then he clears his throat and this time it’s him who takes a step back and looks around the lab with a forced casual look. “Since the breachers are gone, I wanted to ask whether there’s anything else you need my help with. I should probably be heading back to Star City soon.”

Barry takes a sip of coffee to stall. He wants Oliver to stay longer, they’re probably not going to see each other for months again. And he feels like, after this particular team-up, he’s going to miss the archer even more than usual.

Then he looks down at the little pile of documents on his desk and decides _fuck it, let’s try._

“Actually, we had a murder yesterday, we found arrows in the victim,” Barry explains. “Sport ones but it was efficient enough with close distance. If you had time and could take a look at the scene, maybe you could help us determine the trajectory and we’ll at least have the suspect’s height. We have next to nothing about the murderer now,” the speedster admits, clearly displeased. “I know it’s not a vigilante thing and you probably have more important--”

“It’s okay, I want to help,” Oliver interrupts before Barry can finish. “I’ll give a call to Dig to ask how things are in Star City but it was quiet so far, I think I could stay another day.”

Barry beams, feeling a bit awful that he’s _happy_ about an archery related _murder_ in his city, but then, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to keep Oliver here much longer otherwise.

“Go work on that report for your Captain and I’ll catch you later.”

ж

Oliver walks into the first diner that doesn’t look too crowded and finds a place with as little people around as possible. He made a mistake yesterday when he allowed that paparazzi to catch them. He feels that he’s going to punch anyone with a camera near him today so it’s best if he just avoids people in general.

He orders breakfast and takes out his phone to get in touch with Dig. He really needs an update on what is happening in Star City but he still stalls before actually dialing the number. He _wants_ to stay here a bit longer. He feels like his relationship with Barry will irreparably change if he leaves _now._

“Hey there, man,” Dig answers after two tones. “Everything is under control here,” he starts with the report without prompting. “Nights are almost quiet, just some thieves and aggressive assholes but nothing major.”

Oliver lets out a sigh of relief before he can stop himself. It doesn’t go unnoticed by his friend and he hears a little laugh.

“And how are the doppelgangers? You told me you send them off to their Earth - _or whatever_ , I’m not even trying to understand this shit - did you have any complications?”

“No, they’re gone, we haven’t seen any other breachers since,” Oliver answers, surprised by the question.

There’s a prolonged silence on the Dig’s end and then Oliver hears a delighted laugh.

“Wow, congratulations, man.”

Oliver’s confusion must be visible on his face because his waitress looks at him funny when she brings his breakfast. The archers mouths a “thank you” at her and waits until she’s away before asking Diggle for an explanation.

“There was a new pic, of Barry and you, _after_ you got rid of the doppelgangers.”

Oliver swears out loud and he’s even more happy that he chose such a secluded place to sit.

“We decided to pretend we’re together for the press until things die down, it was too late to just deny everything,” he explains, putting the phone between his ear and his shoulder to have both hands free to eat. “It wasn’t real,” he adds, trying not to sound too bitter, as he starts putting butter on his toast with too much force than necessary.

Dig is silent for a moment. “So, you pretend you’re together, but are you sure it wasn’t real?”

“What the hell, Dig--”

“Come on, Oliver, I know you. I know you _care_ about Barry - and not in a way that you care about me.”

Oliver throws his toast back on the plate and sighs deeply with frustration. There’s no sense in denying it in front of Dig, he knows him best.

“Okay, yes, I kissed Barry and I didn’t know the paparazzi was there. I wanted it to be real,” he admits. “But _it wasn’t_. He freaked out and left.”

“Did you tell him that? That it was real for you?” Dig keeps asking the right questions and Oliver continues staring at his scrambled eggs as if they offended him. He’s pretty sure Dig is using a tone he’d chose to deal with a stubborn child.

“It’s better this way,” Oliver finally says.

“Listen, I know you think that the moment you decided to put on the hood full time, you also deprived yourself of a chance at a life where you’re not alone. But he’s different. And I mean he’s a meta who runs and _heals_ fast but not only that, and you know it, too. If you think you’re protecting him by keeping him at a distance, well, you’re already out in the open for the whole world now so that is already out of the window. You’re already at risk of being used by your respective enemies so why not have the good part of the deal, too, huh?”

“We’re going to officially break up soon--”

Dig actually growls at him. “Will it really hurt you to try being with him for real? Don’t you have enough regrets already?”

It stings but Oliver knows Dig means well for him, he knows it’s probably the only way to actually make him act.

“I’m staying here for a day or two longer,” Oliver finally says instead of actually answering Dig. “Let me know if anything happens in Star City.”

“Sure, sure. Remember I want to be your best man at the wedding.”

Oliver just hangs up and finally starts eating his breakfast.

ж

After breakfast, Oliver sets off for a walk around the city. He needs to think and walking aimlessly along not-that-familiar streets is a good set-up to make some life choices. He lets his thoughts wander around the topic he usually locks away somewhere deep and inaccessible.

He can’t shake off the feeling of Barry’s lips against his. He was close to making a fool of himself today when Barry kissed him for show in front of the Captain and he _almost_ made the _performance_ too long and too explicit. He dreamt about these lips. But lust isn’t enough to build a relationship as complicated as theirs would be...

But then, he feels his lips spread in a little smile whenever he recalls Barry’s laugh or his nerdy jokes. He hadn’t felt like this, this happy from simply being around another person, since what feels like ages. He _longs_ for the speedster - but should he? Barry’s a good man. Oliver, well, not so much.

ж

Later, they meet at the crime scene. Barry’s already there when Oliver sneaks in through the window - he can’t really be an official consultant, his archery expertise isn’t something he wants advertised.

They start with Barry showing him around while he also gathers some additional samples. Oliver watches him closely, listening to the CSI’s explanations. The archer hadn’t seen him work his regular job since their first meeting in Starling, when he came to examine the break in connected with Mirakuru production. Oliver was already impressed back then, though more reserved. Now he can fully enjoy the experience, without his prejudices from that time. It’s always satisfying to watch a professional at work.

Fortunately, Barry brought the murder weapon bow so Oliver is able to truly help. They cross-examine the depth of the wounds, the draw length of the bow, and the placement of the body. Since Barry already has some initial results from the body examination, they know the corpse wasn’t moved post-mortem. Together, they manage to find the place where the murderer stood when he shoot, his approximate height, and whether he’s got arms strong enough that it would be visible in his muscles.

They work well together. While they banter and present opposing opinions, they never really argue. Their cooperation is smooth and rewarding.

Oliver knows for sure he has to at least _try_.

ж

He invites Barry for dinner afterwards, to celebrate a job well done. They leave the evidence back at the station and Barry leads them to a nearby Italian restaurant he wanted to check out.

They take a seat in the most secluded corner of the place in order to avoid anyone recognizing them and to be able to talk about their vigilante lives as well if they feel like it. Barry orders a big pizza for himself, Oliver goes for pasta. The archer also orders almost all possible options from the starters menu. When the waiter is gone and Barry looks at him weirdly, Oliver laughs.

“I know that pizza is big but it’s not big enough for that speed force black hole you got in your stomach,” Oliver explains. “Ordering a lot of starters is less suspicious than multiple main dishes. People will assume we shared the starters,” he leans in to whisper the last sentence as if they were conspiring. “But don’t worry, they’re all for you.”

Oliver is satisfied to see a little red blooming on Barry’s cheek and a grateful smile that spreads on his lips. “Thanks, Ollie.”

It’s easy to find topics to talk about as they wait for their food, and later when they go through the starters (Oliver ends up eating some in the end when Barry gets excited over how good they are and actually waves his fork in front of the archer’s face until he takes the bite). Oliver hasn’t felt this relaxed around many people since Lian Yu. It’s usually reserved for family (only Thea now) and his closest friends (Dig and Felicity). Barry has his own separate category and, for maybe the first time, Oliver feels good about it.

Oliver orders two desserts after they’re done with their main courses and when they arrive, he slides his lava cake to Barry. The speedster doesn’t even comment at this point but he still makes Oliver eat some of his apple pie. The archer doesn’t argue about it anymore, just accepts.

When Barry is done with the desserts, Oliver decides it’s high time he actually proceeded with what he planned to say.

“About yesterday,” Oliver starts and a startled expression appears on Barry’s face. They hadn’t really breached that topic since the brief apologies in the morning. “There’s something I need to say and I want you to know that I will respect whatever answer you’ll give me afterwards. I don’t want to lose you as a friend, Barry.”

Barry shifts in his seat and nods, looking expectantly at the archer. He seems a little spooked, too.

“When I kissed you yesterday, I didn’t know that photographer was there. I didn’t do it for show. I kissed you because I wanted to, I’ve wanted to for some time now--”

Oliver doesn’t finish the speech he prepared earlier while walking around the city. He’s can’t really speak because first there’s a hand on his chest, grabbing his shirt and pulling him forward over the table. Then there are lips on his and Oliver moans softly into them. He’s been thinking about it since yesterday and it’s even better than he remembers, it’s even better because Barry kisses him for real.

Both of them are still uncomfortably hunched over the table so the kiss ends too soon. When they part, Oliver licks his lips and he tastes the rich chocolate from the lava cake Barry ate.

“I want you,” Barry confesses when they’re both seated again. The speedster grasps Oliver’s hand and squeezes. “I want us to be _more_. I know it’s not going to be easy, none of us will abandon our cities and our lives aren’t exactly normal, but I want to try. I want to be with you, Ollie.”

Oliver lets out a relieved laugh, unable to look away from the green eyes looking at him unguarded now, full of tenderness and desire.

“I want it, too,” the archer admits, his speech useless when Barry already said it all. He squeezes Barry’s hand back.

“Do you--” Oliver starts and hesitates. He used to be so good at this - in another life. “Do you, maybe, want to get out of here?” He knows it’s cliché but at least it won’t be mistaken for anything else and Barry will have a chance to say no if he wants things to go slower.

But Barry doesn’t say no. He pulls Oliver close again, kisses deeper than ever before, and mouths against the archer’s lips: “You got a place in mind?”

“Actually, I moved to a hotel yesterday. It’s nearby.”

Barry grins.

“Take care of the check and I’ll run get something, meet you at the front?”

Oliver nods and Barry leaves a goodbye peck on his lips before he super speeds out of the restaurant. The archer stays at the table for a moment longer, breathing a bit raggedly. He doesn’t fully believe this is happening. He licks his lips again, the faint taste of chocolate is still there.

Oliver’s aware he must be smiling a bit too much when he goes to pay the check but he doesn’t really care. He leaves a generous tip and almost jogs out of the building. Barry’s already there.

“Successful run?” Oliver asks.

Barry takes one of his hands and puts it in the pocket of his jacket. Oliver can feel a string of condoms and a small bottle inside. He looks at the other man, letting the desire he was hiding for so long to emerge. Barry swears breathlessly.

“I hope that hotel is really close, Ollie.”

“Are you familiar with the concept of delayed gratification?” Oliver replies teasingly and starts walking in the direction of the hotel. Their hands stay in Barry’s pocket, fingers intertwined.

ж

The moment they’re in the room and the door is locked, Barry jumps Oliver, devouring his mouth, his hands tugging the archer’s shirt open. Oliver helps him get the clothes from his torso out of the way and tossed on the floor. Barry murmurs with approval.

“God, I’ve been wanting to do this for so long,” Barry admits, his hands wandering up and down the archer’s chest. “It was _so_ frustrating when I caught you working out the other day.”

Oliver allows his own hands to travel down from Barry’s neck to his ass and squeeze it with appreciation. “All yours, gorgeous.”

Barry groans and leans in to leave a trail of kisses and teasing bites along Oliver’s neck.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” Oliver complains, moving his hands to open the other man’s belt.

“And you were teaching _me_ about delayed gratification?” Barry snorts but they both start getting their own clothes off without discussing it - they work together well, not only in the field as it turns out.

Once he’s all naked, but for the wound dressing on is forearm, Oliver stops for a moment to take in Barry’s revealed form. The speedster’s body is slim but well-muscled, dotted with moles that Oliver wants to count with his mouth. Oliver’s half-hard cock twitches with interest when his eyes stop at Barry’s fully aroused length.

Oliver licks his lips and puts his hands back on Barry’s ass, but this time to lift him. The speedster’s legs and arms instinctively wrap around Oliver but Barry doesn’t even have that much time to enjoy being carried, because a moment later Oliver lays him down on the bed with a contented grunt. Barry makes use of his hands still around the archer’s neck to pull him down and give the man an appreciative kiss. Oliver indulges for a moment, how could he not, but he withdraws soon to go back to his mission. Barry lets out a groan that sounds like a complaint but it turns into something different when Oliver slides down his body, leaving a trail of delicate kisses in his wake. He stops for a moment when he reaches Barry’s crotch and looks at the speedster with a question in his eyes.

“God, yes,” Barry breathes out and Oliver doesn’t waste any more time. He leans down to lick along the speedster’s shaft, then again and again, until one time he stops at the top and takes the head into his mouth. He sucks experimentally and Barry’s hips buckle. Oliver puts his hands on his lover’s abdomen to keep him in place as he takes the tip of Barry’s cock into his mouth again. He’s bobbing his head slowly, swirling his tongue, taking more in with every descend.

One of Oliver’s hands moves to Barry’s testicles, massaging them gently, experimentally. Then he dares to move lower and stroke against Barry’s opening. The speedster’s hips buckle again and Oliver has to withdraw to catch a breath.

“You need to fuck me now _,_ I hope you’re aware,” Barry moans, looking down at the archer, his cheeks almost as red as his suit. It’s so cute how he’s all flushed with embarrassment from his own dirty talk. Oliver grins and leaves a kiss on the inside of Barry’s thigh.

“Where’s the lube?”

“Damn, still in my jacket.”

Oliver reluctantly gets up to walk to the pile of clothes they left in the middle of the room.

“This is a view I could definitely get used to,” the speedster comments when Oliver leans down to get the supplies from the jacket’s pocket. Then, when the archer turns to walk back to the bed, Barry actually groans, his eyes locked on Oliver’s erect cock. Oliver can’t stop a smug flirtatious smile from appearing on his face.

“Come back here already,” Barry whines, his arms stretched out to welcome Oliver back on the bed. The archer throws the supplies on the comforter next to the speedster and lowers himself back to his previous position, their bodies flushed and lips locked in a kiss. Oliver indulges again for a while before coming back to work.

He sits back on Barry’s hips and reaches for the bottle of lube and pours some on his hand, warming it with his body heat before spreading it on his fingers. Barry watches him, wriggling a bit. Oliver looks him in the eyes to check whether he’s impatient or anxious and finds some of the latter on his lover’s face.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just need to tell you something,” Barry admits, biting his lip.

“What is it?” Oliver frowns, worried.

“You know my body works _faster,_ ” Barry starts. His cheeks are redder than Oliver has ever seen them before. “Metabolism and healing and--” he huffs, frustrated. “My body will react faster to the stretching, which may feel be a little weird for you,” he says, nodding at the archer’s slick fingers. “ButalsoIcomefaster,” the speedster blurts out and Oliver barely understands him. Barry gulps visibly and takes a deep breath. “And have short refractory period,” he adds, still fast but much clearer.

Oliver leans in to kiss him, thoroughly. “I knew who I’m getting in bed with, Barry, I’m not going to run away,” he says against the speedster’s lips.

Barry looks at him, assessing, as if he was still expecting Oliver to freak out. Oliver must pass his test because Barry smiles and says: “Get to work, then.”

Oliver starts with one careful finger but, as Barry said, his body adjusts much quicker than expected. The man wriggles under him, his eyes closed, but there’s no discomfort on his face, just bliss.

The archer gets to witness the second part of the speedster’s confession soon, too. After sliding another finger in to join the previous two, Barry’s grip on Oliver’s shoulders tightens and his moans get more breathy. Moments later, he gets to see Barry come for the first time and he gets breathless from the sight.

It’s so cliché to realize in such a moment that he’s in love with the man, but, well, he still is Oliver Queen.

Oliver stills his hand to get Barry a moment to catch his breath but he doesn’t stay too idle. He lowers himself along the speedster’s body to lean down and lick the seed from Barry’s abs. It’s more practical than looking for something to wipe it off for now and, well, he wants a taste.

“I must have lost my mind because you’re not--” he doesn’t finish, just huffs. Oliver lifts his head up to see Barry looking at him with disbelief. Oliver just licks his lips. Barry swears under his breath.

Oliver lifts himself to a better position to continue fingering his lover when he’s treated with an extraordinary sight. The archer watches, astonished, as Barry’s dick raises, getting harder, _so soon_ after the speedster’s orgasm. Oliver almost comes himself from the sight alone.

“I hope you realize how sexy that is,” Oliver ensures his lover, seeing how Barry avoids looking him in the eyes and stares at something to the side, all flushed again.

Barry finally turns to face him and the anxious green meets blue. The archer smiles at him, keeping their eyes locked, hoping Barry is able to see the desire he feels.

“I mean it, Barry. You’re amazing.”

The speedster doesn’t use words to reply but he puts his hand on Oliver’s wrist to withdraw the archer’s fingers. Then there’s a flash of red and yellow and Oliver finds himself laying on his back on the bed now, Barry sitting on his thighs. The speedster already has a condom in his hand and he’s carefully putting it on Oliver’s cock. The archer hisses when a wave of pleasure hits him upon Barry’s touch. Oliver watches as Barry impatiently puts more lube onto his shaft and then positions himself over it.

Oliver offers his hands for additional assistance in keeping the speedster’s balance and Barry takes them, squeezes his lover’s fingers gratefully. The archer can see Barry’s concentration as he starts lowering himself, taking Oliver in. Oliver quickly gets light-headed with the feeling, Barry’s tight and he feels glorious. The archer must put conscious effort into stopping his body from simply thrusting in before the other man is ready.

Barry lets out a breathy moan once he’s sitting on his lover’s hips, all in. It’s one of the sexiest things Oliver has even seen.

The speedster begins to move, slowly at first, slightly lifting his hips and sliding down with shallow thrusts. But soon he starts working out a dynamic rhythm, his moves getting deeper and more confident. His hands slip from Oliver’s and Barry puts them on the archer’s chest, leaning on him while he fucks himself on Oliver’s cock.

Oliver feels he’s getting close but he wants to make Barry come again before he does. He needs to take over, change the pace. Oliver puts his hands tight on Barry’s hips to keep him in place as he turns them both around, so that Barry’s lying on his back know. He starts thrusting into the speedster with his own rhythm, satisfied when he hears he’s still drawing a plethora of sounds from Barry.

“This is so m-much better than a d-dream,” Barry murmurs absentmindedly but Oliver hears it well. He slows down his thrusts, but keeps them rhythmical and deep.

“You had a dream about this?” he breaths heavily but he knows Barry got the question because one of his hands moves to cover his face in embarrassment.

“After that first kiss,” he confesses and moans in frustration when Oliver doesn’t quicken. “I dreamt you fucked me against a wall.”

Oliver’s thrusts stop altogether and Barry looks at him with such a mixture of offence and puppy eyes and the archer almost laughs. Instead of that, Oliver takes advantage of his lover’s full attention and points with a shake of his head at the nearest wall with a question in his eyes. Barry gulps. Then nods.

He’s done it before with some previous lovers so there’s no hesitation in Oliver’s movements when he gathers Barry into his arms, the speedster embracing him tight with his legs, and stands up.

Barry makes a sounds that’s half yelp, half groan, then swears loudly when his back hits the wall.

“You good?” Oliver breathes out.

“Godyespleasemove.”

Oliver only gets half of the other man’s mumble but it’s enough. He starts thrusting into Barry again. He knows he won’t last long now. He’s _so deep_ in Barry like this and the strain of keeping his lover in place is almost masochistically adding to his pleasure.

“I’m so close,” Oliver groans out a warning and feels Barry tightening around him. He puts the remaining sliver of consciousness into keeping them upright as he’s coming, hard. 

He needs a few deeper breaths to recover before he tightens his grip on Barry to turn them around and put the speedster on the bed again. Then he slowly slides out of his lover and moves to finish him off - only to find a splash of Barry’s seed on his belly again.

“You came?” Oliver asks dumbly, still dazed from the mind-blowing orgasm. He was sure he didn’t manage to make Barry come again before himself.

“Looks like seeing and _feeling_ you climax is enough to put me over the edge,” Barry admits, biting his lip nervously. Oliver leans down again to kiss him thoroughly before he withdraws to take care of the less pleasurable things.

He takes off the condom and goes to the bathroom to throw it out. He considered just tossing it to the floor to worry about it later but he also remembered that Barry quite appreciated him walking around naked. And Barry could use a towel and he didn’t look like he had any energy left to move.

Indeed, Oliver feels Barry’s eyes on him as he walks out of the room and then when he comes back with a wet towel. He wipes the speedster’s stomach but this time he doesn’t bother to take the towel back to the bathroom, just throws it on the floor and finally lays down on the bed, next to his lover.

Oliver draws Barry closer, so that the speedster is laying on his chest, and pulls him for a kiss. They make out lazily, sloppily, completely content.

“I’ve never done this before, you know,” Barry confesses once they part, his fingers drawing mindless patterns on Oliver’s chest, over the scars and tattoos. “Sneaked into a hotel to have sex,” he clarifies. “Figures I would get _that_ off my bucket list when getting with _the_ Oliver Queen,” he giggles.

Oliver snorts.

“Mission accomplished, I made you smile,” Barry announces in a triumphant voice. Oliver feels his lips stretch wider into a full grin.

“You tend to do that, yes,” Oliver agrees. Barry flushes again under his intense gaze and the archer feels warmth spreading over his chest. He assumes this is what it’s like to be helplessly happy.

He kisses Barry again. This may just work out.

 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](http://missmho.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/hoodedmiho) if you want to fangirl over flarrow crossovers together.


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